Textbook on Agricultural Microbiology

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Soil Organic Matter Pools. 3. Composition, Distribution and Functions of Soil Organic Matter. 4. Soil Carbohydrates and Lipids. 5. Role of Organic Matter in Pedogenic Processes. 6. Decomposition of Organic Residues in Soil. 7. Nutrient Transformations in Soil: Nitrogen, Phosphorus. 8. Biochemistry of Humus Formation. 9. Trace Metal Interactions with Humic Substances. 10. Reactive Functional Groups of Humic Substances. 11. Adsorption of Organic Compounds by Clay. 12. Clay - Organic Matter Complexes – I. 13. Clay - Organic Matter Complexes - II: Role of Organic Matter in Forming Stable Soil   Aggregates. 14. Humus - Pesticides Interactions in Soil. 15. Environmental Significance of Humic Substances. 16. Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by UV-visible Spectroscopy. 17. Characterization of Soil Organic Matter by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. 18. Nuclear Techniques for Soil Organic Matter Studies. 19. Managing Soil Organic Matter. 20. Analytical Procedures.

The book covers the fundamentals of agricultural microbiology, including bacteriology, plant pathology, soil microbiology, food microbiology.

This book was carefully put together with the variety of course reading materials and the academic background of agricultural students in mind. To aid students in understanding and memory, the suggested book covers all essential facets of agricultural microbiology in a clear, concise manner.

The book can be used as a study guide and additional reading for a variety of competitive exams.